badatfireemblem Posted July 2, 2018 Share Posted July 2, 2018 I just wanted to ask if when buying overseas (Japan in this case) whether anyone has or knows if customs applies to trading cards like Cipher? I'm looking at getting some shipped to the UK from Japan for about £50 worth but I'm wary about being charged extra on arrival. If anyone has any info on this it would be much appreciated. Thanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChibiToastExplosion Posted July 2, 2018 Share Posted July 2, 2018 2 hours ago, Natalie said: I just wanted to ask if when buying overseas (Japan in this case) whether anyone has or knows if customs applies to trading cards like Cipher? I'm looking at getting some shipped to the UK from Japan for about £50 worth but I'm wary about being charged extra on arrival. If anyone has any info on this it would be much appreciated. Thanks. Are you the same Natalie from Art of Fire Emblem? I'd recognize that art from anywhere 8) Unfortunately to answer your question, I'm not 100% sure. I know the U.S. isn't charged anything additional, and I haven't really heard of anywhere else being charged so I am going to say "probably not". I've shipped with a lot of international customers here but I can't recall if anyone here is in the UK. If you are from the discord group, I believe CrimsonDeaki is from the UK as well and she might know. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
badatfireemblem Posted July 2, 2018 Author Share Posted July 2, 2018 6 minutes ago, ChibiToastExplosion said: Are you the same Natalie from Art of Fire Emblem? I'd recognize that art from anywhere 8) Unfortunately to answer your question, I'm not 100% sure. I know the U.S. isn't charged anything additional, and I haven't really heard of anywhere else being charged so I am going to say "probably not". I've shipped with a lot of international customers here but I can't recall if anyone here is in the UK. If you are from the discord group, I believe CrimsonDeaki is from the UK as well and she might know. Yeah I am aha. I feel so famous I see, I see. I checked the UK's import/customs but they don't have a category that fits trading cards so I can't really tell. I didn't get charged for the ones you sent, but that was just on the border of what you're allowed into the UK with no customs charges anyway. I'll ask her then and see if she knows, thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zamimari Posted July 3, 2018 Share Posted July 3, 2018 Any order over £15 will get customs trading cards or otherwise. I think the threshold is higher for gifts (£39 if I recall correctly). I have bought some booster boxes from amiami (three so far) which are £30-40. I got hit by customs for two of these. The key to maximising the chance of avoiding customs is to choose the right shipping method as this will determine whether the package is handled by Royal Mail or Parcelforce. Royal mail are more likely to not charge you for customs and have a cheaper handling fee. I've also heard Parcelforce are more rough with handling meaning that your package could be potentially damaged. If I recall correctly, SAL packets go to Royal Mail and EMS goes to Parcelforce. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
badatfireemblem Posted July 3, 2018 Author Share Posted July 3, 2018 (edited) 23 hours ago, Zamimari said: Any order over £15 will get customs trading cards or otherwise. I think the threshold is higher for gifts (£39 if I recall correctly). I have bought some booster boxes from amiami (three so far) which are £30-40. I got hit by customs for two of these. The key to maximising the chance of avoiding customs is to choose the right shipping method as this will determine whether the package is handled by Royal Mail or Parcelforce. Royal mail are more likely to not charge you for customs and have a cheaper handling fee. I've also heard Parcelforce are more rough with handling meaning that your package could be potentially damaged. If I recall correctly, SAL packets go to Royal Mail and EMS goes to Parcelforce. Ah i see. Though it isn't everything that gets customs over £15. Books/paper/gift cards etc are vat free so you don't get charged. I wasn't sure if trading cards fitted into that category, but if you've been charged then they must not. Thanks for the info. I'll have to be careful... Edited July 4, 2018 by Natalie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChibiToastExplosion Posted July 4, 2018 Share Posted July 4, 2018 14 hours ago, Zamimari said: Any order over £15 will get customs trading cards or otherwise. I think the threshold is higher for gifts (£39 if I recall correctly). I have bought some booster boxes from amiami (three so far) which are £30-40. I got hit by customs for two of these. The key to maximising the chance of avoiding customs is to choose the right shipping method as this will determine whether the package is handled by Royal Mail or Parcelforce. Royal mail are more likely to not charge you for customs and have a cheaper handling fee. I've also heard Parcelforce are more rough with handling meaning that your package could be potentially damaged. If I recall correctly, SAL packets go to Royal Mail and EMS goes to Parcelforce. Have you tried shipping with DHL? That's an independent shipping company outside of any specific country (I think it's Germany based), so maybe that would be a way to avoid it? I used to hate DHL years ago because they were terrible, but they have really turned things around - B13 saw my cards arrive Friday! after release, and it was cheaper than EMS United States Postal. I I think that option should be available during checkout during Ami Ami, and it might be a possible way to avoid customs? I could very well be wrong, just an idea. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kirie Posted July 16, 2018 Share Posted July 16, 2018 On 7/4/2018 at 2:27 AM, ChibiToastExplosion said: Have you tried shipping with DHL? That's an independent shipping company outside of any specific country (I think it's Germany based), so maybe that would be a way to avoid it? I used to hate DHL years ago because they were terrible, but they have really turned things around - B13 saw my cards arrive Friday! after release, and it was cheaper than EMS United States Postal. I I think that option should be available during checkout during Ami Ami, and it might be a possible way to avoid customs? I could very well be wrong, just an idea. Customs fees are set by countries and have nothing to do with what shipping company you use. You still have to pay customs when you ship via DHL. However, as someone who lives in a country where you have to pay customs for imported Cipher cards (Netherlands), I still prefer DHL as it's faster and cheaper than EMS, and you can choose to prepay your customs stuff online so it's not an issue when the package arrives. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChibiToastExplosion Posted July 18, 2018 Share Posted July 18, 2018 On 7/16/2018 at 2:00 AM, Kirie said: Customs fees are set by countries and have nothing to do with what shipping company you use. You still have to pay customs when you ship via DHL. However, as someone who lives in a country where you have to pay customs for imported Cipher cards (Netherlands), I still prefer DHL as it's faster and cheaper than EMS, and you can choose to prepay your customs stuff online so it's not an issue when the package arrives. Thanks for the correction! I guess I am a bit spoiled in that fact that I don't have to worry about the customs fees, heh. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.